The Keystone Party of Pennsylvania’s mission is to create a culture of positive policy change with workable solutions that solve real world problems. This will be achieved by electing honest and reasonable candidates, who support a small, effective, and efficient government.

What Do We Stand For?

Governmental Reform

Part-Time Legislature – Legislators should spend half their time among their constituents so that their legislation reflects the needs of the people they represent.
Term Limits – Legislators should have reasonable term limits to prevent gridlock in committees and better reflect the will of the electorate.
Anti-Corruption - We strongly support anti-corruption laws and we seek greater anticorruption enforcement.
Individual rights - As our society has grown and laws have been passed by politicians, there has been an increase in over-reaching authority and state intervention into the lives of its citizens. We are in favor of preserving America’s founding documents to protect individual rights.
Overreaching Authority - We advocate for the reduction of unelected and overreaching authority. We believe all levels of government should reduce extra-legislative rulemaking and instead follow the procedure for the creation of new laws as outlined in the Commonwealth Constitution.
Budget and Finance – We believe the state should not spend more than it receives in revenue, and that the annual budget must be balanced.

Fair Elections

Ballot Access – The rules to gain access to the ballot should be equitable, regardless of political affiliation.
Independent Redistricting Commissions – It is a clear conflict of interest for political parties to directly participate in redistricting. We support the adoption of redistricting models that work independently from politics.
Voting – Ensuring voting access is a fundamental responsibility. There are proven transparent methods to ensure the security of the process, while protecting the individual’s ability to cast their ballot.
Voting Methods – We support implementing Ranked Choice Voting to replace the current First Past the Post system. A candidate winning less by less than 50% of the popular vote does not truly reflect the will of the people. Ranked Choice Voting ensure that the winner of any election will have the approval of at least 50% of the voting populace. These systems encourage candidates to seek the support of the majority of their constituents rather than a radical minority base.
Primary Elections – Primary elections are the nomination process for political parties. As such, they should not be publicly funded. So long as they are publicly funded, primaries should be open to every registered voter regardless of political affiliation.

Social Reforms

Criminal Justice – We support ending qualified immunity and eliminating civil asset forfeiture policies. We support expungement for any conviction for a victimless crime and individuals so convicted should have all their rights restored. Further we support reformation of the pardon system to make it expedient and fair.
Education – We support the right of parents to educate their children as they see fit (e.g., homeschooling, charter, private, cyber, or locally-managed public schools) and reform the funding process for education.
Environment – Our environment has not been taken care of very well and that neglect has been exacerbated by political posturing rather than practical solutions and proven methods. Practical solutions must include diversified access to energy. As we transition to new technologies (green or otherwise) we must constantly evaluate their impact on the environment and mitigate the negative effects. All the while maintaining affordable access. No energy sources should be subsidized with tax dollars and excessive taxes should be ended. Class action lawsuits should be allowed against polluters.
Healthcare – All Pennsylvanians should have access to affordable quality healthcare. Currently political leaders primarily focus on a single aspect of the American healthcare system (insurance) with no intention on addressing root problems. We will address the root problems and offer real solutions that the vast majority will approve of. Access to affordable quality healthcare is not simply a matter of insurance. We support right-to-try laws, revocation of certificate of need (CON) laws, and the elimination of governmental restrictions on providing health care to those in need.

Criminal Justice Reform

Victimless Crimes - Only actions that infringe on the rights of others are crimes. Laws that create crimes without victims (e.g., drug use, consensual sex work) should be repealed and the non-violent offender’s records should be expunged. We believe that only actions which directly infringe on the rights of others can be considered crimes. We support ending the drug war, decriminalizing sex work, decriminalizing gambling, and generally repealing any law that creates a crime where there is no actual victim.
Jury nullification - Juries should be informed of their right to rule “not guilty” to any charge under a law they find unjust.

Individual Rights

Self-Ownership – Individuals have the right to do what they wish with their bodies without legal interference so long as they are not coercing or harming others.
Self-Defense – Every individual has the right to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their justly-acquired property from harm. We believe individuals have a right to own and carry weapons.
Freedom of Speech - We believe that the freedom of speech is critical for a functioning society.
Religion - The United States was started as a haven of religious tolerance and we believe it ought to remain that way. We believe that every individual has the right to his/her religious, or lack of religious, beliefs. We believe that the government should have no favoritism or bias toward any particular religious group, nor to those who do not practice religion.
Relationships – Adults (over age 18) have the right to consensual relationships with other consenting adults free from political or governmental involvement. Further, politicians should make no laws defining marriage or who may participate in it.
Gender and Sexual Minority (GSM) Issues - We believe that no person should be denied any right, including but not limited to: the right to marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration, or military service solely on the grounds of sexual orientation, preference, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or family status. We believe that individuals have the sole authority to determine their gender identity or gender expression.

Economics

Free Markets - We reject any unnecessary impositions on the right of individuals to trade freely and/or maintain the livelihoods of their choosing.
Market Failings – We believe government should favor economic freedom, yet must occasionally balance it carefully with the common good. We favor the least amount of regulation necessary to maintain a healthy and prosperous society.
Currency - We do not believe in mandating the use of fiat (government-issued) currency in private transactions. We believe individuals have the right to exchange goods and services in any mutually-agreeable form of payment. We believe alternative currencies, such as cryptocurrencies and precious metals, should be regulated to the least possible extent.
Private Property - We strongly believe in the right of individuals to own property, for personal or business use. We stand against any nationalization of industry or property and against unfair uses of state powers of condemnation, such as eminent domain.
Taxation - While we believe taxation serves a purpose, we favor simpler and less invasive methods of taxation, levying the minimal amount required for a functioning government. We further believe that the government should not levy property taxes against an individual’s personal primary residence.
Land Use Regulations - We believe land-use regulations negatively impact economic development and mobility; thus, we support the repeal and/or simplification of most land-use regulations.

Immigration

Immigration made America the most powerful nation on Earth. We want America to continue being the world’s beacon of freedom and to continue attracting talented and motivated people from all over the world. The majority of problems around immigration today are primarily due to government inefficiency. We support streamlining the immigration processes to properly vet potential immigrants and to give them a clear path to citizenship. This will allow peaceful people to participate in our guest worker programs, become permanent residents, or seek citizenship.

Privacy

We believe that people should have the right to keep their personal data private, and that businesses ought to keep customer data secret by default. We favor strong data privacy laws, to include the right to be forgotten. We also favor strong banking secrecy laws.

State Preservation

National Guard – The primary mission of the National Guard is to aid Americans in their most desperate times. National Guard members have been unavailable to fulfill that mission in recent decades because of unwarranted commitments to the Federal executive branch. The National Guard should not be placed under federal control or sent overseas absent a declaration of war or an insurrection.